Testudo Times

Maryland Minute 3.9.10 - Awards Keep Rollin' In for MD

2010-03-10T00:06:49Z

Anybody else think this is a Babe Ruth-esque point to his future banner in the rafters?

How close was the ACC POY and COY voting?

Not all that close. Greivis got 73.6% of the vote and Gary got 79.2% of his vote. Historically, those are some pretty impressive percentages.

CBB All-American Team - Jeff Goodman

He's got GV as a first-teamer. I still think he'll end up on the second team but first team All-American would be an incredible honor.

Duke at Maryland is "Game of the Year" - Pat Forde

"Excellently played in a charged atmosphere with a lot on the line. The Terrapins grabbed a share of their first ACC title since 2002, and Greivis Vasquez might have snatched league player of the year honors away from Jon Scheyer in the process of making two heroic shots down the stretch."

Definitely the most electric college basketball game I've ever attended. That off-balance miracle shot by Greivis will be one fans remember for years to come.

Dave Neal Wins Irish Superleague Player of the Month Award

Not a bad day to be a Terp, huh? He takes home the honor after averaging 27 points, 14.6, rebounds and 3.8 assists this past month.

More Insanity from Lunardi

After having the Terps as a 5 seed a couple days ago, somehow we're down to a 6 seed. Oh, and Georgtown, (a team with a worse record, a lower ranking, and a 2-4 record over their last 6 games) is sitting comfortable at a 5 seed. Makes a lot of sense to me...

Bracketology 101: Bracketology 101's Field of 65 - March 9

Terps a 4 seed. I like it. - DT

NCAA Grants One Year Grace Period for CIW Rule

This is in regards to the rule that a coach-in-waiting has to abide by the HC's recruiting rules, which are limited compared to assistants'. Maryland will still fight it, but they'll use this time to do so. Honestly, Franklin might just be the straight-up HC this time next year. - Ben B.

Quick Note on 2011 Target, Devin Langford

Via ESPN:

Lee-Huntsville junior power forward Devin Langford will receive a lot of attention next season as he assumes the leadership role on the defending champions.

PF? I think they mislabled him - he's always been a SG. But I do think he's underrated, so it'll be good to see him get some more credit if he's the team leader. - Ben B.

DeMatha Wins State Championship - Highlights

Quinn Cook outscored Gonzaga as a team in the first half. He dropped 30 in the game - absolute program-changer. Mikael Hopkins had a couple of nice blocks, too. James Robinson, a 2012 kid from DeMatha, crosses a kid up in the video as well; the area is strong for 2012, with Justin Anderson, Isaiah Miles, and Robinson all potential top 25 guys. - Ben B.

My Take: Cook is no doubt a program changer. I just don't see Curtis Malone letting him go play for Gary.

You Tell Us: With ACC Player of the Year In Hand, Where Does Greivis Vasquez Rank?

2010-03-09T20:41:13Z

More photos » Nick Wass - AP

4 months ago: Maryland's Greivis Vasquez (21) goes to the basket against Indiana of Pennsylvania's Darryl Webb (15) and Thomas Young, center, during the first half of an NCAA exhibition college basketball game Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009, in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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It's official: Greivis Vasquez won the ACC Player of the Year award going away earlier today, making him the fifth Maryland player to ever receive the award (Juan Dixon, Joe Smith, Len Bias, Albert King) and the third for Gary Williams' 21 years at the program.

It's quite an achievement, and basically guarantees that a banner will be hanging in the rafters (not that it was in any doubt at this point). He's clearly been one of the nation's best players this year, and should go down as an all-time Maryland great.

Here's my question: on the list of players Gary Williams has coached, where does Vasquez rank?

Juan Dixon is #1 and will doubtfully ever be topped. But how high could Greivis go after that? Does he challenge Joe Smith, who won a national player of the year award? Probably not.

How about Walt Williams? The Wizard was an amazing player, and he was put - and succeeded in - a difficult situation. No one can compare to him for what he did for Maryland. But he never won ACC Player of the Year, and Greivis is a major reason that Gary Williams still has his job. Is that enough for Vaz to leapfrog him?

Or what about Keith Booth? Booth was a big part of the mid-90s revival and carried a team on his back. You could argue that Vasquez did the same, but he has the hardware to go with it. Steve Blake, however, has even more hardware. Does Vasquez top him?

To the point: there's a lot of career left to go, considering he could win the ACC tournament or make a deep NCAA run, but for the moment, let's assume that Maryland makes it to the ACC championship game, loses, and goes on to the Sweet 16 in the NCAAs. Vasquez is neither particularly better nor worse than you would expect. Where does he rank?

Personally, I put him behind Williams, at #4. It'll be interesting to see what some of you, particularly the older (thus, wiser) ones, have to say about it.

Poll

Where does Greivis Vasquez rank for Gary Williams' players? (No #1 option available, because Juan > *).

ACC Tournament 2010: A Brief Primer

2010-03-09T21:46:22Z

See that up there? That's the ACC bracket. And there are some things you need to know about it. I'm not going to school you on the ins and outs of each team - you probably already know them. But there were a few things I did find interesting after a quick hour surfing the internet.

Georgia Tech is giving up. Rumors are flying that Paul Hewitt is done at GT. Fans are displeased with him. They lost at home to Virginia Tech in what was very nearly a must-win game. North Carolina doesn't have much more going for them, but at least Roy Williams isn't about to be fired. If they can get past UNC, which is a big if at this point, Maryland will be a big game, but do they really care?

UNC has a better attitude...at least publicly. Of course there's been a lot of turmoil in that locker room, but fans aren't as down on the team and Roy Williams is at least saying the right things. Here's hoping it can lead to an upset (for one round).

Don't sleep on Clemson. They have an awful history, but I like them.They're the third best team in the ACC by KenPom, and have quietly won seven of their last nine games, with Maryland and a road game at Wake Forest being the only losses. Clemson/FSU should be a great game, but Clemson has already beaten them twice. They're clicking right now, are healthy, and few teams have an answer to Trevor Booker. They're my sleeper team, should they beat Maryland, which is fully possible - the two teams split the season series.

Vegas odds favor Duke. Unsurprisingly, odds are 4/5 for Duke. Maryland is at 5/2 right now.

Duke got a walkthrough. Sometimes, the seeding breaks just don't go your way. Their opponents should be worse than Maryland's simply due to seeding, but by how much? Maryland's potential first matchup - Georgia Tech - has essentially the same KenPom rank as the best team on Duke's side of the bracket (29 against VT's 28). The bottom half of the bracket also houses #17 and #18 in KenPom, while the #3 team on Duke's side is Wake Forest, #41 in KenPom. Had Clemson beaten Wake Forest, FSU (#18) would've swapped with Wake Forest (#41), evening things out substantially. Of course, every team Duke lost to in the ACC is on the other side of the bracket, too. Thems the breaks.

LRMC says Duke over Maryland. One of the more unique, accurate rating systems, Joel Sokol's predictions are relatively unsurprising - each higher-seeded team wins, except for my darkhorse Clemson squad, which actually beats FSU in the second round. Maryland then prevails and meets Duke in the finals, only to fall. Sad. Of course, stats aren't supposed to predict upsets.

History isn't on Maryland's side. The last time Maryland went into the ACC tournament with a 7 game winning streak? Lost in the first round to Miami. The last time Maryland was #2 in the tournament and Duke was #1? 2000, when the Dukies won in the championship game. Maryland, however, did meet up with them in the finals, losing by 13.

PoY: Go big or go home. It's been split right down the middle the past decade: half of the ACC Player of the Year's teams won the ACCT. The other half didn't make it to the finals. I suppose that's rather fitting given Greivis Vasquez's on-and-off personality.

Happy memories. Maryland's last ACC tournament championship came in the Greensboro Coliseum. It'll be played there again for the first time since 2006, so it's a good chance to relive some memories of John Gilchrist. Y'know, before he went crazy and all that.

Greivis Vasquez, Gary Williams Win ACC Player, Coach of the Year Awards

2010-03-09T18:00:38Z

More photos » Mary Schwalm - AP

about 1 month ago: Maryland's Greivis Vasquez (21), of Venezuela, is congratulated by head coach Gary Williams as he leaves the game late in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Boston College, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010, in Boston. Maryland defeated Boston College 73-57. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)

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As I said earlier today, Greivis Vasquez has won the ACC Player of the Year award and Gary Williams has been named ACC coach of the year. Any other result would have had me leading a revolt against the ACC writers because both of those guys deserved their awards more than anyone else in the league. And the fact that Seth Greenberg has won that award more times than Gary is a travesty. But at least they've each won it twice now.

Jordan Williams was 2nd in the ROY voting - he had six votes. Favors earned 45 of 53. Not sure who the other 2 votes went to but how do you justify not giving it to Favors or Jordan?

We'll have more on this later today. Until then, celebrate like it's 2002!

Vasquez Named Sporting News First Team All-American

2010-03-09T15:54:14Z

Vasquez Named Sporting News First Team All-American

Awesome. Glad to see Greivis getting love outside of the ACC. Guess who wasn't first team, btw - Scheyer (FWIW, he was 2nd team).
A source of mine tells me Vasquez will be the ACC POY. He's a pretty good source, so I have no reason to doubt him. You heard it here first.

Maryland Minute 3.8.10 - Terps Make Big Scheduling Decisions for 2010, 2011

2010-03-09T02:28:11Z

Props to BBro for help on the links today.

Maryland Will Play in 2010 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic
It'll be at MSG, highlighted by Pittsburgh, Texas, and Illinois, along with the Terps. Pretty good field. Maryland has hit the NY area hard in recruiting lately, so this makes a lot of sense from that perspective as well.

Terps Lead Local Poll
Fitting, seeing how they overtook Georgetown in the national polls as well.

It's Official Maryland Will Play ND at FedEx in 2011
Notre Dame is the "home team", laughably. It'll be Nov. 12. Better clear the date on your calendar now.

Hayes going to Final Four | InsideNova.com
Hopefully with the rest of the team, but if not, he'll still be there as a participant in the 3-point shooting competition. Glad to see the steady senior getting some kind of recognition after being left off the All-ACC teams. - Ben G.

Grant Catalino Named ACC Co-Player of the Week
Its a good week to be a Terp, ain't it? The award comes after Catalino dropped 5 goals, including the game winner, in a win over #9 Duke on Saturday. - Ben G.

Men's Soccer Update - Terrapin Trail
Really good read if you're a fan of Sasho's squad. My favorite quote:

"There’s obviously high expectations for the forward tandem of Townsend and Jason Herrick. Herrick earned the first-team All-ACC honors expected of Townsend last season, and Cirovski said "there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be the best frontline in the country."

- Ben G.

Major Kentucky Violations Coming Down the Pike?
Word on the street is that multiple major outlets are about to drop allegation bombs on UK. Pretty sure that'd be a new record for John Calipari. It could also have major negative effects on Kentucky's recruitment of our good friend C.J. Leslie.

My Take: Not sure how reputable this source is but boy, would that be awesome. Kentucky sold its soul to the devil when they hired Calipari and you can bet that some recruiting violations will surface over his time there.

GT Fans: Giving Up on Paul Hewitt
His time might be done.

NFL Network May Be Part of the ACC TV Deal

2010-03-09T00:07:11Z

NFL Network May Be Part of the ACC TV Deal

Posting this for a few reasons, but mostly because this is a topic I've followed and featured for a long time.

This goes against the whole "package deal" of all football and basketball together for bargaining reasons, but it's certainly an interesting concept that would get the ACC a lot of football coverage. Just not major network football coverage, which is what we actually want. (hear that, Fox?)

Terps' Vasquez, Williams Honored on All-ACC Teams

2010-03-08T20:38:29Z

More photos » Nick Wass - AP

Greatness manifested.

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The All-ACC teams were released today, and were, for the most part, sensible. Unsurprisingly, Greivis Vasquez was a unanimous selection, as were Jon Scheyer and Malcolm Delaney. He's the first Terp to be on the All-ACC first team since Steve Blake did it in his senior season.

Sadly, Eric Hayes, Landon Milbourne, and Sean Mosley all missed the third team - Mosley and Milbourne both had ill-timed slumps which probably killed their chances, and Hayes was a long-shot all along. I do think that if Milbourne hadn't had the late season slow-down that he would've made it, and certainly would've deserved it over, say, Alabi or Hudson.

Another non-surprise came on the ACC All-Rookie team; Derrick Favors led the way in votes, but Maryland forward Jordan Williams was right on his tail, just one vote away. I just want to know who thought that Williams wasn't one of the five best freshmen in the ACC.

Other than that, not a lot was qualm-worthy; Kyle Singler was the last on the first team, and I honestly think he deserved to be ahead of Booker. That's a strange case of a Duke player getting fewer votes than they deserve. Ishmael Smith doesn't seem like a second-team player in my mind, but I can't really complain when the next two options are Gani Lawal and Dorenzo Hudson.

Congrats go out to both Terps. Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year are all announced tomorrow.

The full teams are below:

First-team All-ACC
Greivis Vasquez, Maryland (159)
Jon Scheyer, Duke (159)
Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech (159)
Trevor Booker, Clemson (137)
Kyle Singler, Duke (134)

Second-team All-ACC
Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest (126)
Nolan Smith, Duke (104)
Sylven Landesberg, Virginia (95)
Tracy Smith, N.C. State (82)
Ishmael Smith, Wake Forest (76)

Third-team All-ACC
Gani Lawal, Georgia Tech (73)
Dorenzo Hudson, Virginia Tech (51)
Chris Singleton, Florida State (50)
Joe Trapani, Boston College (38)
Solomon Alabi, Florida State (30)

ACC All-Rookie Team
Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech (52)
Jordan Williams, Maryland (51)
Durand Scott, Miami (44)
C.J. Harris, Wake Forest (41)
Michael Snaer, Florida State (35)

ACC All-Defensive Team
Chris Singleton, Florida State (48)
Solomon Alabi, Florida State (39)
Trevor Booker, Clemson (21)
Lance Thomas, Duke (17)
L.D. Williams, Wake Forest (16)

Terps 19th in Both Polls

2010-03-08T20:02:38Z

Terps 19th in Both Polls

Mega-late on this one, but I'm posting it anyway. My verdict: thought we'd be a spot or two higher, but I really don't care about the polls at this point. Maryland's clearly one of the best 15 or so teams in the country at the moment, and whether people say they are or not is irrelevant.

Maryland Minute 3.7.10 - Terps Prepare for ACC Tournament

2010-03-08T02:40:05Z

Terps' Schedule in Place, Getting Some Rest
Took off today and Monday, they'll practice on Tuesday. That's good, I think they need a little break.

Clearing Up the Coat Toss
I know there was some argument surrounding it, so here's the clarification: Bennett's coat toss was in response to the officials, Gary's was in response to his own team's play.

Palm Has Maryland as a 4
The last four, granted, but a four nonetheless. The three seed is closer than ever.

RealTimeRPI Bracketology - Terps a 5
I'll take it for now, though it does seem low.

Official ACCT Bracket Unveiled
Little bit prettier than mine.

Breaking Down Terrell Stoglin - AZ Cetnral
This sounds good.

Stoglin is a true point guard who is tailor-made for the ACC. He brings great court command. He is so good at finding the open man. He has an excellent chance starting as a freshman. His court IQ, savvy are ACC-ready now. He'll go into places like Duke and North Carolina and not be intimidated one bit. The crowd noise will only make him better. He is great at pulling up for the soft jumper. He has a beautiful jump shot and unfailing confidence. To me, he's a bigger version of former UA point guard Damon Stoudamire. Too bad Stoglin's prep career coincided with the coaching turmoil at UA. He always had UA on his radar, but Maryland's Gary Williams will look smart by taking a chance on him.

Honestly, Stoglin doesn't get enough credit, and I'm partially to blame for that. It's easy to forget about him, but he's probably the second best player we're bringing in.

Sweep! Maryland Baseball Wins 4 in a Row, First Series Sweep of the Season
Erik Bakich working his magic against...Hofstra.

Look, no one said it would be easy this year. Just enjoy possibly having a future in this sport.

DeMatha's Coach on Delonte Morton
Bill McGregor speaks on Maryland's latest commitment:

"The day before he committed," McGregor said, "he came and I asked him, 'If you had your druthers, and you could go anywhere you wanted, where would you want to go?' He said, 'Well, there are three places.' One was Maryland, he said two was Pitt and he said the third was Oregon. I said, 'I don't want to burst your bubble, but Oregon's not going to recruit you. They never come this far east. Pitt hasn't offered, but they want to see you and you can go there [this summer]. Right now you do have an offer from Maryland.' And he said, 'Coach, I'm thinking about that. I just may take that.' And then he went to the [Maryland-Duke basketball game] on Wednesday and committed to them."

We beat out a team that won't recruit him and a team that wasn't recruiting him! Hey, I'll take 'em how I get 'em. He's going to be good.

"He's just the type of kid that you bring in. You just take him," McGregor said. "If he doesn't make it offensively, you know he can play defensively for you right now. ... Everyone just wanted to make sure he was OK. He didn't go out to other one-day camps. [If he played last year] he would be very, very highly recruited."

Clifton Richardson "Soft Commits" to UVA
I really like Richardson, so I don't like that he soft committed anywhere, but seriously, who goes out of their way to say "I might go to your school,'? I mean, UVA is his only visit to my knowledge, no surprise he'd enjoy it the most.

On this note, I've updated the football recruiting database with a bunch more recruits, and I'm halfway through a more aesthetic, direct display. Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself.

ACC tournament bracket is decided. This is what it looks like. As indicated, Maryland will play...

2010-03-08T01:25:29Z

ACC tournament bracket is decided. This is what it looks like. As indicated, Maryland will play their first game on Friday at 7:00. When the ACC releases the pretty one, I'll put that up in this one's place.

Updated with better bracket.

Greivis Vasquez vs. Jon Scheyer: Comparing the ACC Player of the Year Candidates

2010-03-07T15:30:34Z

More photos » Sara D. Davis - AP

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One very entertaining thing came out of a very unentertaining UNC-Duke game last night: Dick Vitale calling for Greivis Vasquez and Jon Scheyer to share the ACC Player of the Year award.

The idea, which is not unprecendented, believe it or not, is certainly interesting, but rather non-sensical. They haven't been equally as good, as Vitale implies - one has been clearly better. I know that it's not worth presenting facts and logic in response to Dickie V, but I'm going to do it anyway. Below are the season long stats for both Greivis and Scheyer in the three major statistical category (for the sake of fairness, I should mention that I'm leaving out turnovers and 3pt%, which Scheyer leads, as well FG%, which Vasquez leads in):

	Pts	Reb	Ast
2009 - Greivis Vasquez	19.6	4.6	6.3

	Pts	Reb	Ast
2009 - Jon Scheyer	18.9	3.5	5.2

Advantage in all three major statistical categories: Vasquez. Remember, too, that Vasquez did this with an awful start, while Scheyer was lighting it up out of conference. While neither OOC or IC play technically matters more (the language is simply "best player"), many voters give nodes to who performed better in conference, and that is unquestionably Vasquez. Just take a look at the in-conference stats (calculated by hand, because official sites haven't updated with yesterday's stats):

	Pts	Reb	Ast
2009 - Greivis Vasquez	22.1	4.6	6.9

	Pts	Reb	Ast
2009 - Jon Scheyer	18.7	3.3	4.6

Scheyer has regressed in all three categories. Vasquez has improved in two, and held steady in the third. It's very difficult to argue that Scheyer has been as good as Vasquez, whether its over the course of the entire season or in ACC play alone.

Of course, some take Player of the Year to mean the best player on the best team,and Duke will receive the #1 seed. But Maryland's late season head-to-head victory assured that, as the ACC sees it, neither team is "better" - they're sharing the title. And with Duke's talent-loaded team, the accomplishment seems far greater for Vasquez than Scheyer.

Luckily, Vasquez has the momentum; the last thing most voters will remember about the season is Vasquez's runner against Duke and Scheyer's ensuing miss. Had Maryland beaten Duke in the first matchup but lost in the second, instead of the other way around, the vote would be much closer and might favor Scheyer. But with Vasquez's recent performance and statistical edge, he's the frontrunner.

The award winner will be announced on Tuesday, and it should go to Vasquez rather easily.

Maryland's Basketball Scholarship Situation, and Discussing the Remainder of the 2010 Class

2010-03-07T15:30:23Z

Another commitment means one less scholarship. Because history tells me there's always going to be questions about scholarships - and deservedly so, because it becomes a rather complex situation at times for people that do not religiously follow recruiting - I usually just break it down in a post after a commitment. This one's no different.

13 scholarships are available for basketball. Next year's team, including the current signees, would look like this:

1. 22 Adrian Bowie
2. 25 Steve Goins
3. 33 Dino Gregory
4. 14 Sean Mosley
5. 35 James Padgett
6. 24 Cliff Tucker
7. 20 Jordan Williams
8. 00 Terrell Stoglin
9. 00 Mychal Parker
10. 00 Ashton Pankey
11. 21 Pe'Shon Howard
12. 00 Haukur Palsson

That's 12 total, which means Maryland can offer one more scholarship for the moment. If you're wondering how Maryland can bring in 6 players, only lose three, and still have equilibrium, a few late moves opened up space. Jerome Burney will no longer occupy a scholarship, and Jin Soo Choi's scholarship is now available as well. The third comes from David Pearman, who was given a year-to-year scholarship when Gus Gilchrist ended up at South Florida, which was renewed this year but won't be next year if they decide to use the scholarship.

Saying one more scholarship will be available is a little conservative, because it's very possible that Steve Goins, who has played 4 minutes this year and has struggled with injuries, won't return next year. He was supposedly transferring at the end of last year, but ended up back in College Park. Though it's always a bad idea to speculate, a complete lack of playing time and the possibility that he may never get over his injuries may lead him to vacate a scholarship spot - in that case, there would be two available. Right now, that seems to be probable.

I've deliberated for awhile on the possibility that the Haukur Palsson signing effectively ends the 2010 recruiting class despite the roster space unless a major commitment like C.J. Leslie or Moses Abraham comes down. At the moment, both seem unlikely, so, if that's the case, odds would point to being done.

While I understand the opposing argument and I don't think that either option is particularly better or more likely to be right than the other, it does make a lot of sense to me to sign another big man. While Dino Gregory has been encouraging and Jordan Williams has been outstanding, Maryland remains perilously thin in the frontcourt. James Padgett seems to have plenty of potential, but he's played so little that he's still an unknown. Ashton Pankey has medical problems, and though early reports about the surgery are encouraging, it's impossible to know how healthy he'll be or how he'll stand up. We've seen first hand through Goins and Burney that injuries can last longer than expected. And quite honestly, you can't count on anything out of Goins right now, if he's even on the team.

If an injury happens to strike down one of the two major guys, Maryland is left with a three player frontcourt that includes two very unproven players. The consequence, assuming no Goins, would be a return to the ultra-small style of play. And while it's had mixed success, I'm ready to end the experiment without Greivis Vasquez to carry the squad.

Outside of Leslie and Abraham, whom might end up being day one starters, Eric McKnight and Juvonte Reddic remain options. There have been rumors swirling around Reddic for awhile now that aren't favorable, and I wouldn't be surprised if Maryland backed off. McKnight, however, remains an option. His recruitment has quieted lately, implying lessened activity, but that very well could be because Maryland's still recruiting and fighting for Leslie and Abraham. If both go elsewhere, it might be a good insurance policy to at least have a fifth big man on the roster.

Just my opinion, and I apologize for hijacking the general idea of the post. Moses Abraham will announce next week, likely to Georgetown (though he said very good things about Tennessee and was reportedly also blown away by Maryland-Duke). Leslie probably won't make any type of a decision until after the year. Last year, Maryland recruited into April. It wouldn't surprise me to see it again. Either way, we won't know until then what direction they've decided to take the class in.

Maryland's ACC Tournament Slate Begins to Take Shape

2010-03-07T03:21:50Z

More photos » Gail Burton - AP

about 1 month ago: Maryland's coach Gary Williams watches his team play against North Carolina State during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010 in College Park, Md. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

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As I type this, Duke is demolishing UNC by more than 20 points. I think it's fairly safe to assume that the game's in the bag. It's entirely possible that this is a Dewey Defeats Truman moment, or that my foolproof blogger jinx strikes again, but it's exceedingly unlikely right now.

Maryland clinched a share of first place with their win over Virginia today, but they needed Duke to lose to win it outright or receive a #1 seed in the ACC tournament. With that not happening, the Terps are now locked in as a 2 seed in the tournament, and the bracket has begun to take shape. The bracket is after the jump, using scenarios from the awesome Patrick Stevens:

A little convoluted at spots, but Maryland will for sure get the winner of Georgia Tech and North Carolina, two teams they have already beaten. Georgia Tech is definitely a scary matchup, because Maryland needed a last second shot to win at their home court. Maryland has improved since then and played somewhat poorly the first time around, but it's still concerning. Hopefully North Carolina can pull off the upset and give Maryland a slightly easier opponent in the first round.

After that they'd play either Clemson, Wake Forest, or Florida State. If Wake beats Clemson tomorrow, FSU will be the three seed and Clemson will be the six seed. If Clemson beats WF, then Clemson will be the 3 and WF the 6. I'd like to avoid FSU if only because it's tough to beat the same time three teams in once season, but I admit that it's tough to ignore the fact that Maryland has beaten them twice, both home and away. I would definitely like to avoid Clemson - they gave Maryland trouble at the Comcast Center and won on the in Littlejohn fairly comfortably. I'd be pretty confident if Wake Forest were to get the 6 seed and was able to upset Clemson in the second round. Maryland has gotten better since the first matchup, Wake has gotten worse, and it won't be in Winston-Salem.

Interesting little fact here: Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes, and Landon Milbourne were part of a team that closed the regular season on an 7 game winning streak before. Their freshman year, in 2006-07, Maryland finished with seven straight wins. What happened next? They lost in the first round of the ACC tournament to Miami. Of course, Maryland has won 7 straight this year, too. Be vigilant: they definitely seem tired from the stretch. The senior leadership is better than it was in the 06-07 team, so I think they'll be okay (actually, I think it's more likely they win the ACCT), but it's a possibility they struggle early.

I'll post the final bracket in a FanShot when it's decided tomorrow. Until then, discuss.

Terps' Adrian Bowie Comes Alive as Maryland's Streak Continues

2010-03-07T01:30:54Z

More photos » Gail Burton - AP

Anthony.

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Adrian Bowie has become a lot of things this year: a member of an ACC title-winning team, a talking point for the future, and even an inside joke (Anthony!). One thing he hasn't been: a consistent offensive option.

Until now, that is.

All year, people (me absolutely included) talked about his struggles with his shot, handles, and halfcourt offense in general. His stats for the year have been relatively quiet: about 15 minutes and 4 points per game, shooting barely 40% from the field and 34% from three. His shooting ability and confidence were questioned.

The last three games, though, it seems as if a switch has been turned on. His line for the past trio of contest: 9-9 from the field, 3-3 from deep, 21 points. For those of you math-challenged, that means he's averaging 7 points per game in the past three, and shooting a cool 100% from both the field and three-point line in doing so.

It may not win him any awards, but his presence in the last three games has been key for the recent streak. Think about it - all three of the games were extremely close, and in all three his points came at big times to buoy Maryland. He's doing exactly what a sixth man should do, and he's done it with confidence, which is perhaps the biggest improvement - he no longer looks tentative and unsure, but strokes his jumper with confidence. It helps that it falls with consistency.

Adrian's emergence has been great to see, and very encouraging for next year, when he'll likely be given a chance to see what he can do at PG. He's still a natural SG to me and I don't remember seeing him without one of Maryland's two other PGs on the floor, but the rise in confidence level leads me to believe that he deserves a look at it. If it doesn't work, then move him back to SG and give one of the young'uns a shot.

All the same, all that matters right now is that he hasn't missed a shot in the past three games, his confidence is at an all-time high, and Maryland is reaping the benefits to continue their great season-ending run. This new-found strength could be a big factor in any sort of post-season run.

Maryland Holds Off Virginia for Road Win, Clinches Share of ACC Regular Season Title

2010-03-06T20:41:35Z

More photos » Ethan Hyman - AP

20 days ago: Maryland's Greivis Vasquez (21) reacts after making a basket late in the second half against N.C. State during an NCAA college basketball game on Wednesday Feb. 17, 2010, in Raleigh, N.C. Maryland won 67-58. (AP Photo/The News & Observer, Ethan Hyman)

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Nothing in ACC road games, particularly in rivalries, comes easily. If we didn't know that before, we certainly do now.

Maryland led by as much as 14 in the first half, but Virginia slowly fought back and cut the lead as low as 1 late in the game. The final few minutes are difficult to describe - Maryland had trouble getting anything to foul and were seemingly constantly called for questionable fouls, while Virginia couldn't miss from deep. Eventually, Greivis Vasquez came on the scene and had a few crucial baskets to spark Maryland to a close win, 74-68. The win guarantees at least a share of the ACC regular season championship, and marks the first time that any member of the current team, even the senior class, has won in Charlottesville.

Virginia would've been in it at the end had it not been for a technical foul called on Virginia head coach Tony Bennett, who threw his jacket on the floor after a blocking foul was called on Jerome Meyinsse. Sometimes technicals are good, but it was awful for UVA in this instance, and it showed Bennett's youth as a coach. Feel free to send him thank you cards.

Was it uninspiring? Mostly. Was it emotional? Not at all. Was it a piece of work? Hardly. But it was an ACC road win, and good luck finding a road win in the ACC that's any of the above. Winning a road game when playing poorly against a rival? That's nearly impossible, but Maryland still did it. That in and of itself is encouraging, regardless of the quality of play today.

Vasquez started out lightning fast, scoring 10 in the first seven minutes, but slowed down and all but disappeared for the next 27 minutes. He wouldn't score again until the 6:00 mark in the second half, and his absence was a big reason Virginia closed the gap.

But when Maryland needed him, he came up big. He scored two threes in a row once he got off the schnide, and scored 13 in the last 6 minutes to get to 23 for the game. He was absolutely crucial in the final few minutes, and showed why he will win - and completely deserves to win - the ACC Player of the Year award.

Not enough can be said about the reemergence of Adrian Bowie the past few games, too. He's been sensational, and though I still think he works better as a 2 guard in this offense, he does deserve a shot at the point next season. He's so much more confident and so much smoother both when handling the ball and shooting it; could you honestly expect anything more out of him? He had a few key baskets today to seem even more impressive than his stats, which were solid (8 points), indicate.

Other than that, not a lot was particularly notable. Eric Hayes was what you expect Eric Hayes to be. Landon Milbourne was better on the boards than he had been recently (7 rebounds) but still was ineffective offensively. Jordan Williams looked good, but his stats were average. Dino Gregory had a few moments that looked great before drifting into the background, and Cliff Tucker was a solid, unspectacular force off the bench. No one was particularly better or worse than they were expected to be. No one really played with much in the way of emotion.

Instead, it was more impressive as a team performance - particularly not relenting when Virginia made their gigantic run at the end of the game. And the fact that they won with such a poor performance is a good sign, believe it or not.

Maryland basketball: 2009-10 ACC Champions. Has a nice ring, no?

Maryland-UVA GameThread

2010-03-06T17:00:30Z

Apologies for no Gameday Guide, but I mean, hey, it's a 1:30 game and it's 9:00. I'll fit in here: game's at 1:30 on Raycom, the Justin.tv link (password should be juanjuan still), and ESPN360 (subject to blackout in ACC country).

Next Game

Maryland Terrapins
@ Virginia Cavaliers

Saturday, Mar 6, 2010, 1:30 PM EST
John Paul Jones Arena

Does Maryland Need to Fear "Duke Hangover"?

posted by Ben Broman 1 day ago

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Maryland Minute 3.5.10 - Greivis Vasquez Named Cousy Award Finalist

2010-03-06T05:07:36Z

Greivis Vasquez Named Finalist for Cousy Award
John Wall won the fan vote. Evan Turner, who isn't even a PG, is on the list, while the entirely deserving Jeremy Lin is not. Whatever, Greivis is in and that's all that matters. Congrats to GV, and hopefully he wins.

Bracketology 101 - Terps a 5 seed
MD is the first of the 5 seeds. BTW, if you haven't seen Bracketology 101 before, they've been on of the most accurate sites in picking the tourney participants and their seeds over the last few years. They make Lunardi look like a 4 year old making picks. And they also question other experts on their picks. - DT

RTC Bracketology - MD a 5 Seed
Kentucky would be the potential #1 Maryland would have to face. Looks like 5 has become the consensus.

Bracken's Story on Palsson
Good stuff from Matt Bracken, as always.

"They love his skill set and they love the fact that he’s coming from a program where we’ve been fortunate in seven years to produce many players that have been very successful at the collegiate level," Sutton said. "I think he’s a player that will do very well playing for Gary Williams because he’s a Gary type of player. He wasn’t on everyone’s recruiting radar, but he’s going to be a very good player for Maryland. He’s a tough-minded kid."

Maryland Up to 11 in the SBN Power Poll
Deserved. Also, the highest I've seen Maryland outside of Andy Katz's top ten ranking.

Dana O'Neil: Pitt Panthers guard Jermaine Dixon counts his blessings - ESPN
Good story on Pitt's Jermaine Dixon, brother of Juan. Talks about how Juan threw him out of Gary Williams' basketball camp once for having a bad game and for crying. Tough brotherly love as Jermaine was only 12. Maybe that's why he ended up at Pitt and not UMD. Good read. - DT

New C.J. Leslie Mixtape
C.J. Leslie dunking to O Fortuna-esque chants? Yeah, I watched it twice in a row.

Travis Hughes Has a Top 5
That includes Maryland.

His father said the favorites – right now – are Maryland, Virginia Tech, Clemson, South Carolina and North Carolina. He also said Virginia "has really come on strong."

I wouldn't be surprised if Maryland leads, Hughes seems to be very close with his brother and relishing the chance to play with him. If you don't know who Hughes is, he's a top 100ish LB from the Va. Beach area.

Breaking Down Maryland's Latest Commitment, Iceland's Haukur Palsson

2010-03-05T22:33:52Z

via farm1.static.flickr.com

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When thinking of latest Maryland basketball commitment Haukur Palsson, you might be reminded of Maryland's last international player, if he left an imprint in your brain at all: Jin Soo Choi. The South Korean by way of South Kent, CT. became a folk hero after lighting up a third-rate school in an exhibition, and was never heard from again. He received mininal playing time, never realized his potential from deep, by all accounts had trouble in class due to the language barrier, and was athletically overwhelmed. I won't blame you if you're a little skittish about welcoming another foreign player noted for their shooting.

The case of Palsson, though, has one giant difference from Choi's - he won't be enrolling a year early. Choi was forced into action a year early because Maryland had the space and he could qualify, but he was still just 17 when he enrolled. That surely led to issues grasping the game, in the classroom, and in the weight room. Unlike Choi, Palsson will be enrolling at a normal time, already speaks English well, and, at 6-6, 215, isn't a string bean.

With that in mind, Palsson is still noted for being a somewhat unathletic shooter, like Choi, but also has the positives of being a very good rebounder and hard worker. He's not a "pure shooter" - he does bring a lot to the game on defense and away from the ball on defense, though he can also knock down shots from the three point line. He's a high-character kid, and if he's filler, he's some darn good filler.

One quick note about Palsson from the word side: despite having the nickname "Hawk", which presumably comes from the first four letters of his name, his name is supposedly pronounced "HUGH-ker". So play-by-play commentators, take notice; you have trouble with superstar Greivis Vasquez (not "Vas-kwez", idiots), so I shudder to think about this one.

Anyway, on to specfics:

The first, most definitive scouting report I found on Palsson comes from Eurohopes, a website that focuses on European basketball players. Here's their take on his game:

Haukur is a very complete SF player who can play three positions in the court without problems, offense-defense, thanks to his athletic talent and developed basketball IQ. Palsson has a special talent to control the game. Very skilled player, Palsson controls many aspects of the game.

Physically very strong and hardy, is very active and liable on both sides of the court. Very fast footwork movements on defense, use his hands correctly to anticipate and steal the ball. He is a good shooter behind the arc and he has a nice ball touch to shoot near and far from the basket.

Play one on one from the dribble without problems but takes advantage of many options playing the off-ball game. He is great at rebounding, being better in defense rebound.

Kind of sounds like this guy is a little European too, but it's easy enough to figure out what he's talking about, as general as it is. Below that, they list his positives as being unselfish, smart, and a gritty rebounder, as well as - strangely - athleticism. Negatives are a bit odd given his stigma - "slow" shooting, along with leadership and play off the dribble - but I'll take their word for it.

Eurohopes also has an interview with him, mostly on his national team endeavours.

Speaking of national team endeavours, Palsson is part of Iceland's national team, which is on the lower tier of Europe's teams. He's shown his scoring potential several times against questionable competition, dropping about 16 a game in the U18 Championships, including 25 on Sweden and 27 on Denmark, and 20 a game in the U16 Championships, with a 41 point game against Belgium.

EuropeanProspects, a blog dedicated to...uh, European basketball propsects, saw Palsson light up similar competition in the Nordic Championships, and had predictably great things to say:

By far the most promising player in this tournament was afore-mentioned Haukur Palsson, a 1992 born, athletic point guard, who played small forward in the national team rotation. He was a nightmare for the opponents in both ends of the court, with enough explosiveness to get past his defenders, very good ball handling skills for someone his size and age and some good timing to go with physical strength to finish in the paint and snatch rebounds. Even though Palsson can still become a better defender and shooter, he averaged tournament-best 18.5 points and 11 rebounds in five tournament games to go with around 3 steals and 3 assists a game. Palsson has "potential" written all over him.

That's encouraging, if a little skewed. It was interesting that he played point guard, because ESPN has also mentioned him as a 4 - talk about versatility. Move over Terrence Jones.

ESPN and the Orlando Sentinel both have pieces on him, though they focus more on the personal side of an Icelander playing in Florida. They do, however, quickly mention his game.

The Sentinel:

"He has a very high basketball IQ," Montverde coach Kevin Sutton said. "He is a complete player. His ability to shoot is outstanding. He has the ability to play all around the perimeter as well as playing inside."

...

While Palsson, 17, has outstanding form on his shot, good court vision and a body that can withstand the pounding under the boards, the biggest adjustment he has faced is in the style of play. The European brand of basketball to which he is accustomed is more about finesse and half-court play.

"It's a lot faster and a lot tougher here. The kids here are a lot more mature," Palsson said. "You can't be soft. There are more athletes here than in Iceland."

That might be why Palsson is usually described as unathletic but is listed as being "explosive" by some of the Europeans. There's such a huge difference in the type of athlete that what is great to Europeans may be average to Americans. Still not having seen any real footage of him, I'll hold off on saying it definitely either way, but it's something to keep in mind.

From ESPN:

"He provides a spark for us," Sutton said. "Haukur has a high skill level and has played with consistency. He defends well, passes and creates his own shot off the dribble.

"Unlike most [international] players, he understands defenses and how to play team defense. He's a solid basketball player."

"Understands defense"? "Solid basketball player"? Sounds like a Gary guy.

Another positive note: he's clutch. He knocked down two free throws with 0.1 on the clock, down by one, to take the lead in the City of Palms Tournament against Paterson Catholic. The bench ran onto the floor afterwards to celebrate and got hit with a T, allowing Paterson to tie it up, and Montverde would eventually lose, but he must have...wait for it....ICE in his veins. Get it? It's funny because he's from ICEland.

Despite the info above, there's still not much on the way of video. This was all I could find:

Yes, that's a two-play highlight reel. Lots of conclusions to draw from that, I'm sure.

You get the feel that Palsson's a very high-character person with a great work ethic and a good basketball IQ. If that's all you're getting, I'm sure Gary Williams can make something of it. He might not be a elite athlete, but he's got a lot of versatility, having played everywhere from the 1 to the 4, and he can rebound, handle, and shoot. That combination isn't found many places at any level, so it's certainly a good thing to have.

No, he doesn't start at Montverde, and no, there's not a lot of exposure of him, but Gary Williams personally offered after watching him, and I see no red flag big enough to take that level of endorsement away, considering the scholarship situation. I highly doubt two players significantly better than Palsson really wanted a spot. Best case, he ends up developing nicely, turns into an ACC-caliber starter with a good jumper. Worst case, he pulls a Jin Soo, can't adjust, and goes home. With the scholarship situation the way it is, I think he's a chance worth taking.

Maryland Lands Fifth Commimtment, Haukur Palsson

2010-03-05T20:59:20Z

His nickname is Hawk. Just wanna get that out there.

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Props to tiimbitz and s.r.g. for getting this up before me. From ESPN:

ESPN.com's Maryland affiliate www.InsideMDSports.com has confirmed with Montverde Academy head coach Kevin Sutton that 6-foot-6 wing forward Haukur Palsson verbally committed to the Terps on Friday.

....

"Haukur isn't a flashy prospect but he's very productive and always plays hard," Biancardi said. "I've had the chance to see him twice doing games for ESPNU and he's a very good all-around player who has continued to develop over the course of the season.

"He brings versatility to table as his skill set allows him to shoot it to 19 feet easily. But he's also a savvy passer and a good ball handler and is not afraid to get dirty and grab rebounds."

"Haukur will be a steady, effective and productive player in the ACC who will give a terrific effort every night.

Interesting fact about Haukur Palsson not mentioned in the article: he's from Iceland. Meaning...well, it doesn't mean a lot except that he's from Iceland. Guess we have a new talking point for commentators, ala Jin Soo Kim. Maryland basketball: recruiting globally.

Palsson had offers from Harvard, South Florida, Central Florida, and Vanderbilt - not a murderer's row, but a decent little group. He's regarded as a heady, hard-working player with a pretty nice outside shot. Maryland's been missing a deep shooter in this class since Terrence Ross' departure, so in that sense, it's a nice fit.

I'll look around a little more and have more information within the next two hours, hopefully some video. Don't like talking about people when uninformed, y'know?